After leading the San Francisco 49ers to three straight NFC Championship games in his first three seasons with the team, Harbaugh lost the support of the 49ers front office and lost eight games – missing the playoffs for the first time. He leaves San Francisco with the highest winning percentage in team history and a 44-19-1 record.

Meanwhile, the University of Michigan fired head coach Brady Hoke – opening the door for Harbaugh to join his alma mater as the school’s head coach. Harbaugh played QB for the Michigan Wolverines in the 1980s, and became head coach of the Stanford Cardinals in 2007, leading them to a pair of bowl appearances in 2009 and 2010 and famously developing QB Andrew Luck.